Interesting research

Schizophyllan

INCI: Schizophyllan · also SPG, split-gill mushroom beta-glucan, sizofiran

A beta-glucan our lab ferments from the split-gill mushroom, Schizophyllum commune: a long chain of glucose with a side branch every third sugar, which is the shape that makes it hold water and calm skin.

Why it is here

It is in Coming of Age to keep the retinal civil. Retinoids push skin to renew faster and the redness is why people stop. In our lab's four-way, double-placebo test on people against 0.2% retinol, schizophyllan reduced retinol-related redness and irritation within 24 hours and kept reducing it over five days. Interesting tier: the published work is laboratory, and the human test is ours.

Schizophyllan is a triple-helix polysaccharide that forms a flexible, water-holding film on skin. In the published work it shows antioxidant, anti-photoaging and melanin-inhibiting activity in laboratory assays, and in a skin explant model exposed to cigarette smoke it was among the polysaccharides that significantly prevented oxidative stress and inflammatory gene expression. In our lab's assays it raised the activity of superoxide dismutase, the cell's own antioxidant enzyme, and inhibited lipid peroxidation, one of the ways a retinoid-stressed surface stays uncomfortable.

The receipts

Schizophyllan produced by fermenting Schizophyllum commune showed antioxidant, anti-photoaging and melanin-inhibiting activity in laboratory assays.
Efficient production and skincare activity evaluation of schizophyllan, a beta-glucan derived from Schizophyllum commune NTU-1. International Journal of Biological Macromolecules, 2023. fermentation optimization and in vitro assays. PMID 37080406
Pretreatment with schizophyllan, among other polysaccharides, significantly prevented cigarette-smoke-induced reactive oxygen species in the stratum corneum, barrier lipid peroxidation and interleukin-6 gene expression in a skin explant model.
Common cosmetic compounds can reduce air pollution-induced oxidative stress and pro-inflammatory response in the skin. Skin Pharmacology and Physiology, 2022. porcine skin explants exposed to cigarette smoke. PMID 35100602

What the study actually did

Study: Gou Z, Peng Z, Wang S, et al. Efficient production and skincare activity evaluation of schizophyllan, a beta-glucan derived from Schizophyllum commune NTU-1. 2023.
Journal: International Journal of Biological Macromolecules 241:124504
Design: Fermentation optimization and in vitro bioactivity assays
Subjects: Laboratory assays, no human subjects. Skin explant data: Hergesell K, et al. Skin Pharmacol Physiol 2022;35:156-165, PMID 35100602
Concentration: Not stated for the bioactivity assays
Duration: Not applicable
Outcome: Antioxidant, anti-photoaging and melanin-inhibition activity in vitro

From our lab

The retinal comes with its own peacekeeper.

Retinoids work by pushing skin to renew faster, and the redness that comes with it is why people quit. Schizophyllan is a beta-glucan our lab ferments from the split-gill mushroom, Schizophyllum commune, and tested on people in a four-way, double-placebo design against 0.2% retinol. It is in Coming of Age so the 0.1% retinal can do its job without the drama, and it moisturizes on the way.

24 hours
Retinol-related redness and irritation reduced within a day of application.*
5 days
And still falling at day five, with continued use.*
Ahead of HA
More immediate moisturizing than hyaluronic acid in the same lab.*

Schizophyllan · 2 to 5% of the serum

INCI: Schizophyllan

*Our lab's tests of the ingredient. Redness: on people, four-way double-placebo, against 0.2% retinol.

Inside the lab

In practice

Typical use: 2 to 5 percent in a serum. Higher does not mean calmer; it means a thicker film.
Pairs with: Retinal, Squalane, Niacinamide
Keep apart from: Nothing documented.
Cautions: None notable. Beta-glucans are widely used in formulas for sensitive skin.

Questions people ask

Is schizophyllan the same as oat beta-glucan?

Same family, different molecule. Oat beta-glucan is a linear chain with mixed links; schizophyllan has a branched, triple-helix structure from a fungus. Both hold water and calm skin. Ours is the fungal one, fermented rather than extracted, which is how our lab makes it at consistent quality.

Does it make the retinal weaker?

No. It does not change how retinal converts or works; it changes how skin tolerates the process. Start Coming of Age two or three nights a week anyway. Peacekeepers help; they do not repeal the law.